Dell Rapids School District’s former elementary school is surplus property after the school board deemed the building to have no educational value to the district. / Joe Sneve / Dell Rapids Tribune

Written by

Joe Sneve

The old elementary school at 613 north State Avenue is considered surplus property after the Dell Rapids School Board decided the building has no educational value at its meeting last week.

The building is unused by the district since its new elementary school on 15th Street opened in January 2012, and the board hopes its decision to surplus it will spark some interest in the fate of the 57-year-old structure.

“It gets the word out. … If anybody in the community has really strong feelings about it one way or the other, we’re going to hear about it,” said Matt Weiland, Dell Rapids Board of Education member.

District educators do not use the facility. The Dell Rapids Community Haven uses a portion of the building, a group of home-schooled students use two classrooms and some middle school and elementary school athletic teams use the gymnasium. The Dell Rapids Carnegie Public Library will also operate out of the building this summer while it undergoes renovations.

Those groups, according to the motion passed by the board, will be able to continue using the facility while the board heads into the appraisal process ahead of a potential sale.

Determining the value of the property is the next step for the board. In October, a commercial appraiser was hired to get an idea of what the building is worth. But those estimated values haven’t been made public.

Schultz said the board will need to reassess the value of the facility now that it’s been declared surplus. The board can either hire another appraiser, or have three district taxpayers assess valuation.

In coming weeks, board members will also decide whether it is sold via sealed bids or auction.